Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, toured the Northern Command and the Golan Heights along with commanders stationed in the region, this morning (Thursday, July 19). Mr. Barak addressed recent occurrences in Syria, and the targeting of top security officials of Bashar al-Assad’s regime by oppositions forces. He said, “What happened yesterday in Damascus will greatly expedite the fall of the Assad family.”

Barak added that “those killed are closest to the regime. The blow is severe; it is severe to the radical axis, to the Iranians and to the Hezbollah terrorist organization, who are the only supporters of the Assad family.”

“The regime in Syria under the Assad family is weakening in front of our very eyes and soon the Assad family will fall and nobody will know what will happen next,” added Barak. “We are concerned the disorder will bring to the downfall of sensitive systems: There are many chemical weapons in Syria, scattered throughout the country and many weapons possessed by civilians.”

The defense minister stressed that the IDF (Zahal) is tracking the possibility that once the Assad regime falls, the Hezbollah terrorist organization will try to transfer advance weapons systems, heavy missiles, or chemical weapons from Syria to Lebanon. “We are tracking closely,” said Barak and mentioned that the IDF (Zahal) is preparing for the possibility that waves of refugees will escape from Syria to the Golan Heights. He said, “If required to stop waves of refugees, we will do so.”

“We also consider the possibility that if the civil conflict in Syria is prolonged, the blood spilling will continue even after Assad’s fall, continuing the civil war and the chaos, and making the Golan Heights prone to terror activity. We must be quite and secure, but also alert,” said Barak.